I woke up to what I considered some good news from the Church yesterday. But along with it, for some reason, came also a slew of negativity toward the prophet and the apostles.
Can people not see that President Nelson and the apostles are trying their hardest to do what’s right?
Can you imagine the immense pressure they feel as they literally spend their entire lives trying to make the right decision for so many people and knowing that no matter what they do, there is going to be a huge segment of people who are going to be hurt, offended, or angry about their decision?
These men are in their 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Most of them have been professionally successful enough to lay on a tropical beach or lounge in a Park City cabin or just spend as much time as they can with their grandkids. But instead, they’ll endure the stress of trying to make both God and everyone else happy until the day they die.
People are relentless on them. Everything they say and do is and will be scrutinized. They came together and walked back a policy that made a lot of members of the church really happy. And yet, still, people are never satisfied. There’s always something else to find fault with. There’s always something else that they “should have” done differently or said differently.
The fact that the First Presidency and the apostles were willing to make the change so quickly on this policy shows to me a great deal of humility. Especially President Nelson. He could have just left it alone a little longer and let the next President of the Church handle it. But he confronted the issue and is trying to make things right.
I wouldn’t like any policy banning any children of any family dynamic from being baptized. But I also know that there are lots of things that I don’t know, and if I don’t have all the facts, then how can I judge the decision as a folly of a man or a temporary policy from God.
We don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. We don’t know what situations might have arisen that might have caused the policies of the past. We don’t know what information they have when these decisions are being made. We don’t know if it was a “revelation” regarding the policy or just an honest mistake. And honestly, if someone believes in the God of the New Testament, then you don’t have to look far to see policy reversals that took place in a very short amount of time. Christ himself changed the policy as to which people the gospel should be preached to within about a two-year time span and it confused the heck out of Peter and I’m sure many others.
Anyone who has been hurt by various church policies and has cried out for acceptance and understanding should offer the same acceptance and understanding toward the fallible volunteers who are trying their best to steer this massive ship we call the church. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Assume that they’re not egotistical monsters and that they are good people trying to find the correct path.
The Church was never perfect. It will never be perfect… until Christ comes and takes an earthly command. But even then, does anyone think that when Christ comes that he is going to make policies that everyone agrees with?
The bottom line is that if there is a loving God, then there is no policy on this earth that is going to keep you out of the presence of God and long as you are living your life as a good person. And that’s ultimately what we all want in the end I’m assuming or we wouldn’t be arguing about the various policies.
There are a lot of good people who have been affected by numerous church policies in the past. But there are also a lot of good people working on behalf of those people in order to understand their point of views and perspectives as well as the will of the Lord in these situations.
Despite any personal shortcomings, which we all have… I think President Nelson is one of those good guys, with a good heart. I think he loves all of the members of the church regardless of their positions on various policies. So take it easy on him during these confusing days we live in. I think better days are yet to come.
